“Burn Mark,” by Laura Powell, Bloomsbury, Hardcover, June 19, 2012, $17.99 (young adult)
What if the people who burned witches many years ago were right? What if witches not only were real, but are real?
It’s the premise on which Laura Powell’s “Burn Mark” is based.
It’s the modern world England, and the Inquisition is still very much a part of people’s lives. Witches are still hunted down and burned at the stake — though it’s all done a lot more “humanely” than the past.
Lucas is from a long line of Inquisitors. In fact his father holds one of the country’s top positions. That’s the plan for Lucas, too, once he’s old enough.
Glory’s mother was “Fae.” So was her grandmother. So is her aunt. And despite all the trouble surrounding witchcraft, developing the Fae is all she’s ever wanted.
Lucas and Glory are living in completely unrelated and separate worlds until the day they both develop the Fae. Lucas wants to continue fighting witchcraft, even if that means going undercover. Soon he and Glory find themselves forced together, working to uncover a deadly plot.
The premise of “Burn Mark” is interesting and definitely a different take than most fictional books featuring witchcraft. It’s just too bad author Laura Powell waits so long to really get into the story. It takes at least 50 pages for the story to get going, and some readers just aren’t that patient.
“Burn Mark” is told via alternating points of view, and for the most part it works. I liked the juxtaposition and appreciated the honesty achieved through it. However, I didn’t find either character very likeable and that colored the experience for me.
Laura’s pacing and overall outline lacked the polish I was expecting. The setting was also very dark and very urban and ultimately not one I was too interested about.
“Burn Mark” could be a great book, but with the problems listed above, it’s just OK. I probably won’t read the sequel.
